I always say that I’m not a raw person but that isn’t exactly true. When I’m in SF I’m practically tethered to Cafe Gratitude and one of the best meals I had in LA was at Cru. Brooklyn used to have a hole in the wall (almost literally) restaurant where I would enjoy soggy dehydrated pancakes. Yeah, I said soggy and enjoy in the same breath.
I think I just don’t have the patience for the preparation techniques, like dehydrating and spiral slicing. And while raw is all wonderfully healthy, I’m not positive that cooked spinach is going to kill me, despite the wacky emails I get from time to time. Luckily for us vegans, raw food is almost exclusively free of animal products and so that opens up a whole world of experimentation. I love, for example, using soaked cashews to create creaminess. In fact, many of my favorite vegan desserts have been raw. I’m just not into that vegan cheesecake, loaded with telltale, groan-worthy tofutti and confectioner’s sugar. My favorite cheesecake from Cafe Gratitude contains coconut, dates and Irish Moss. So gather your ingredients and…wait. Irish Moss?
Yeah, so I wanted to make a minimum hassle recipe that was easy enough to create from ingredients you could procure from any health food store. I scoured the internet for hints on how to go about it and I decided on my beloved soaked cashews and coconut oil. The oil is solid at room temperature so ensures that everything stays together. No special equipment needed, this cake came together in a snap. The only prep you need to do is to remember to soak the cashews in advance. Also remember that the cake will need at least 4 hours to set.
The end result was a really, really rich and creamy cake. And you’ll believe me when I say I am not rich-dessert phobic, but the cake really does serve 16. It’s got plenty of strawberry flavor and a little tang from the lime. It needed a little extra strawberry blast at the end, so I threw together a quick strawberry sauce. The crust was modified from the Cafe Gratitude desserts cookbook. I Am Pilfering. To melt your coconut oil place it in a small covered container and place that in a bowl of very hot water. Melt it right before using so that it doesn’t solidify.
Raw Strawberry Cheesecake
Serves 16
Crust
1 cup pecans
1 cup almonds
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 medjool dates, pitted and chopped
Filling
3 cups raw cashew pieces, soaked overnight (or at least 3 hours)
1/2 cup agave syrup
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (alcohol free is preferred for raw desserts)
32 oz strawberries (reserve 9 for decorating), hulled and halved – about 4 cups
3/4 cup coconut oil, melted
Raw Fluffy White Frosting Recipe
1/2 cup raw cashew pieces, soaked overnight
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons agave syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla (alcohol free is preferred for raw desserts)
1/4 cup raw coconut oil, melted
Strawberry Coulis (Coulis is a fancy word for pureed sauce)
2 cups chopped strawberries
3 tablespoons agave syrup
Lightly grease a 9 inch spring form pan with coconut oil and set aside.
To prepare the crust, pulse nuts and salt in a food processor fit with a metal blade. When nuts are fine crumbs, add the dates and pulse until the dough holds together when squeezed between your fingers. Firmly press crust into the bottom of prepared cake pan. Set aside.
To prepare the filling, pulse cashews in food processor until crumbly. Add agave, water, lime juice and vanilla and puree until very smooth, scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula to make sure you get everything. Feed the strawberries through the top of the food processor and puree until incorporated. The filling should turn a pretty pink. With the processor running, add the melted coconut oil in a steady stream.
Pour the filling into the cake pan. It will look like a smoothie and you’ll think no way it will set, but it will! Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to set. Make sure it’s level so that your cake doesn’t come out wonky. Let set for at least 4 hours.
Prepare the frosting in basically the same way as the cake. Pulse the cashews in the food processor until crumbly. Add the water, agave and vanilla and blend until smooth. With the food processor running, stream the coconut oil in through the top until combined. Pour into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Chill until set, about 2 hours.
Prepare the sauce when you’re close to serving. Just mash the strawberries up with the agave until it’s all red and syrupy.
To assemble
Release the cake from its springform prison. Use a mini scoop to place 8 mounds of icing around the perimeter of the cake and one in the center. Slice the tops off the reserved strawberries and gently smush them upside down into the frosting mounds. If you don’t have a mini scoop, just use a spoon and make them as pretty as you can, they’re gonna get smushed anyway.
To serve, place some Strawberry Coulis on the plate and serve the cake over it. Dig in!
Rcahel, try a mix of macadamias and almonds.
That is beautiful…
I love making raw desserts.. .. coconut oil and cashews are magical!
I just got done preparing this and everything is chillin’ in the fridge. It was a really easy recipe for me, and I’m kind of a spaz. The only change I made was using lemon juice. I think it’s going to turn out perfect!!!
I’ve been put off raw cheesecakes because I’ve heard Irish Moss is hard to use, but this raw cheesecake looks much easier and gorgeous. Thanks for the recipe, Isa,
Isa – Do you think this would freeze well? I can’t imagine boyfriend and I downing all of this within a few days.
does it get any more decadent? 🙂
I made it and it was a huge success. I was really easy to make and tasted awesome. I like the intense fruitiness.
This looks great! Can you find Irish Moss anywhere? I’d love to make something with that goo, I only had a drink once at a jamaican rastafarian place in florida and I was impressed with the texture. I can’t imagine how awesome it would be in a cheesecake.
It looks so yummy. I prefer vegan baking over omnivore baking any day. I will have to try making this sometime,but I think I will do blueberries instead.
Do you think I could make this without the agave syrup? Or perhaps suggest something instead of agave? I don’t have any in the house and have had a hard time finding any in the small town I live in. Thanks!
Maple syrup?
I made this and it was great. Then I froze it and let it thaw just about 15 minutes before serving so it was sort of like an ice cream cake. So good like that! (I might even prefer it.)
Wow that looks yum!
Just a quick question about this badass cheesecake–is the texture more like ‘cream cheese pie’ (soft, creamy, cannot stand up a fork in it) or is it more of a dense, brick-like NYC/Vegan Treats cheesecake?
I happen to prefer the latter, so if it’s not super-dense, do you have any tips on how I might make it firmer (more cashews or non-liquid sugar maybe)? Thanks so much! I can’t wait to bust this out.
Ang, you can certainly stand a fork up in it! It’s dense. Wouldn’t call it a brick, though.
raw desserts intimidate me, but i pulled this bitch off. thx for the easy breezy recipe! it’s delicious and creamy and just wonderful.
I made this pie two weekends ago and served it each weekend to different people. This is an awesome dessert that is totally luscious and should be served in slim pieces. It freezes well (to serve more people the following weekend). I put some hemp seeds and pistachios in the crust. Wonderful. Thanks for the recipe!
i actually have tried this cheesecake, and yes, it hits the ball way out of the f’in park. texture is amazing, you won’t believe it’s not animal by-product!
I know this is a tad bit late, but this is the first I’ve stumbled across a raw recipe on your blog (I’ve been a little out of the loop lately). I used to make your cooked recipes before going raw again. Now, I just make raw versions on my blog. I hope you don’t mind, but your “Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World” book provided a lot of inspiration for me toward the end of last year. I’ve even gotten back to making more raw cupcakes recently. You should check them out 🙂
Thanks for the recipe! I got Irish Moss, gonna try making it with out using the cashews. Hugs an thanks again from Hong Kong
Moy
This recipe rules! Made it for a potluck/show and everyone loved it. Definetly making this again, probably for thanksgiving.
This is fantastic! i was thinking of turning my strawberries here into jam but after I saw this, perhaps a cake recipe will be great. I love the pictures by the way.
Finally, an issue that I am passionate about. I have looked for information of this caliber for the last several hours. Your site is greatly appreciated.
Oh, I have not really tried using raw strawberry except in salads..but I think it will be great!
Just thinking out loud here. Think it’s possible to switch the cashews with peanuts, the strawberry with chocolate and skip the lemon? Of course it would no longer be a strawberry cheesecake, or even raw. But in my head I imagine it could be a mighty good peanut butter cake. Better start with a small batch.
Do you have any tips for getting this out of the springform pan? Do you just leave the springform bottom stuck to the bottom of the dessert, or are you able to slide it off? Any tips for avoiding deformation/breakage?
The basic kitchen gadgetry can involve cutlery, since it seems there is a different knife for every purpose. Knife sets can come in steak knife sets, or custom cutlery sets that can be very small for paring, or large and sharp for chopping or butchering,Kitchen gadgets
Spammer! Argh!!
This looks amazing…I’m glad it’s strawberry season. Isa you have made my vegan life so dang tasty!
there are many kitchen gadgets that you can buy online and offline but when you buy, make sure that they are energy star certi —
This looks amazing! Fresh strawberries are so expensive this time of year… do you think it would work with frozen strawberries?
Yeah, except for the strawberries on top.
Rawberry! Cheesecake is my holiday desert solution this year. You are my hero.
Tried this, not sure what went wrong but it never solidified….even after keeping it in the fridge all night. Perhaps I did not leave in mixer long enough? Maybe the cashews didn’t soak long enough? Any thoughts?
Tried the recipe. NOM.
That is all.
Holy shit- THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU.
I did not even THINK of raw desserts when I was trying to figure out desserts my father could possibly eat- he has Crohn’s Disease and can’t eat lactose or sugar or most prepared flour. He can actually eat this! My only switch would be honey in place of agave nectar (he can’t eat agave nectar), and preparing my own strawberry coulis with honey instead of sugar. I am DEFINITELY going to make this. Thanks again Isa!
I’m happy that you found a treat that your dad can eat!
I have tried this recipe twice now and could not get it to set in the fridge, which is where I left it overnight both times. Any tips!?
WOW! this recipe was GREAT! Thank you so much for sharing this. I am not vegan or a raw foodist, but LOVE this recipe. I will definitely make this again. Thank you again!